


Black Wings, Black Water

by WickedImmortals



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dark Captain Swan, Dark Emma Swan, Dark Swan Arc, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-04-25 18:17:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4971370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WickedImmortals/pseuds/WickedImmortals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Dark Captain Swan rewrite of S5A). After Emma becomes the next Dark One, Hook begins to doubt the person he’s become since he met her. As her plans reveal themselves, he finds himself falling back into his old ways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Darkness Has A Home

Killian expected there to be some sort of feeling that accompanied teleportation, but there was nothing, just a fading black haze.

“I was looking for you too.” Emma released his jacket lapels, stepping back. He stood still, his hand hovering in the air where her hip had been. “The new look comes with some other perks.” Her bragging almost sounded shy.

“And what a look it is.” His eyes flowed down her backside as she climbed the stairs to a house that looked as cold as she did. White siding, grey stairs, and closed curtains in all the windows.

She turned on her tiptoes at the top of the stairs, gracefully swinging her arms at her sides. Her mouth was open slightly in surprise, and there was a hint of a smile. “Do you mean the hair or the dress?” He kept his eyes on hers as he climbed the stairs, trying to gauge her state of mind.

“Both. You look quite fetching in black.”

She leaned her head back and glanced at his lips, “ _Everyone_ looks fetching in black.” She chuckled, and opened the door, letting it swing wide.

“What do you think?”

“I think I’m surprised you invited me in.” The décor reminded him a bit of Regina’s office, though to a lesser extent. It wasn’t exactly a good sign.

He looked back to her, and saw that she was posing for him: hands on hips, feet crossed. Normally he would have found it charming but with the present situation, it just reminded him of Rumplestiltskin.

“Just because I’m the Dark One doesn’t mean we can’t still be together,” she teased, that smile never quite leaving her lips. He still wasn’t sure what to make of her mood, if it was false or not. She has said that they’d all failed her, but he couldn’t tell from their first meeting if that included him. From the way she was acting, it seemed not, though he also knew better than to trust a Dark One.

She sauntered off, and as she passed by he noticed a heavy iron lock on a door just to the left of the stairs. He walked closer to the door, hearing clinks, and water pouring in the kitchen. Whatever was behind that door was obviously important. Curious, he moved towards it.

She appeared on his right, holding a glass of rum in front of him. There was no smoke, but he hadn’t heard her shoes on the wooden floor either. He’d learned long ago during his nearly deadly sword fight with the Crocodile that Dark One’s could teleport without a sound. The colored smoke was just theatrics.

“I still also know the fastest way to a pirate’s heart is through his liquor.” She spoke fast, in hushed tones. She was so close he could feel her warm breath on his cheeks from her hurried words. Her eyes, the same hazel green they’d always been, seemed brighter next to her white hair. Her lips spread into a smile, as genuine as ever. There was no malice in her eyes, no secret pain signifying that she felt betrayed by him in Camelot.

If he was going to save her with a kiss, now was a good a time as any.

“There’s an even faster way.”

He slid his right hand around her back and brought his lips to hers, leaning heavily into her. If she was surprised, it didn’t last long. She pushed back, her hand coming up behind his neck and moving up to run her fingers in his hair. She parted her lips and deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue along his. He let her, for a moment.

“There’s the pirate I remember.” She paused their kiss, though she didn’t open her eyes.

Their faces were pressed together, and the feel of her hot breath on his lips was inviting. She titled her head towards his lips again, and he leaned away quickly, sliding his arm off of back. He examined her face and hair for any sign that something had changed.

“It didn’t bloody work,” he whispered frantically, his eyes darting across her face. Was his love for her missing that spark that marked it as True Love? Or was her love for him not as he had hoped? It couldn’t be; she _had to be it._ She was the One; he knew it in his bones.

“You’ve been talking to Belle.” Her smile fell, and she took her hand off his shoulder.

Killian continued whispering, “Why didn’t it work?”

Keeping her eyes down, she said, “It didn’t work because there’s nothing to fix, this is who I am now.” Her voice grew higher pitched as she continued, “Why can’t you accept that? Why can’t anyone accept that?” She looked at him now, her eyes shining with calm fury.

“Because this isn’t you!”

Silence followed his outburst. The fury disappeared from her eyes and she turned away, walking into the kitchen. He stayed where he was, not sure if pushing her would get him thrown out. She stood with her back facing him, and placed the glass of rum she still carried down on the counter hard.

“But this _is_ me. This may be the darkest parts of me,” then her voice softened as she continued, “but it’s still me.”

She spun towards him, leaning her hands against the counter behind her.

“It wasn’t just Goodness that you fell in love with, Killian, otherwise you would’ve had a crush on my damn mother. You fell in love with a woman who you said was always ready for a fight; it was her ‘natural state’. Remember that? You fell in love with an orphan, a woman who was so many things to you.” The seductive pull of her voice moved him toward her with slow steps. “I’m still that woman. I’m still Emma.” She smiled, and it was equally sweet and sad, “I’m still your Swan.”  

 

* * *

 

 

Emma kept her body still, watching him approach slowly, Killian’s eyes glued to her face. She wasn’t sure what showed on her face, but whatever it was brought him closer to her.

“Aye, you are,” he whispered. Abruptly he halted his steps, and she tried to hide her disappointment. “And I’m still the man who turned his back on vengeance so he could be a part of something. So that he could make up for the things he’d done that he shouldn’t have.”

“Is that why? I thought what you were really looking for was a new home.”

That did it. His squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away. She thought of his words to her on that bench by the pond. _Don’t you even care about them, or anyone in this town?_

“It doesn’t matter how much you care about anyone else. You’d still leave them to be with the one you love most. Isn’t that right?” She couldn’t tell if she was talking to herself or him, but it didn’t matter. He was moving again, moving till he was close enough to put his one hand on the cabinet behind her head and his hook beneath her chin. Their bodies didn’t touch, but his face was inches from hers.

“I would, always,” he whispered, and then his hand reached down to curve behind her neck and brought her lips to his.

His kiss reminded her of that night in the hallway after she’d returned his heart to him. Fierce and hot, with no time to waste. His tongue in her mouth was so soft and warm.

His body heat urged her closer, and his left arm slid around her back, squeezing her closer. The tip of his hook brushed her back and she shivered. She ran her left hand up his leather-clad arm and into his hair, sliding her nails across his scalp. The sound he made was almost a growl, and he moved his mouth down to kiss beneath her right ear. Her sign turned to a gasp when he bit her neck hard but without pain, the pressure of his teeth hitting all the right nerves. He continued to kiss her neck, alternating between lips and teeth.

His hand slid down from her neck, pressing into her skin against her breast, then stomach, until he slid it around her hip. She pulled on his hair; bringing his head up and his mouth back to hers. His tucked his fingers underneath her slim dress and slid it up her thigh to where her tights ended and her skin began. He fingered the elastic band that held her tights to her thighs, and started to move his hand inside her thigh.

The glass of rum shattered on the floor, knocked off in their enthusiasm. Killian pulled back for a moment, his lips hovering above hers. Emma smiled at the sound and brought her lips to his again, but he leaned away from her.

“Killian?” She slid her left hand from his hair to grab a hold of his jacket collar. Bringing her right hand in front of his face, she spun her wrist smoothly and there was a clinking sound. Killian looked down. The glass was whole again, though the rum was still in a puddle on the floor.

His hand had let go of her dress and was pressed against the counter. He kept his head down, hiding his expression from her sight. “This was an accident.” His husky voice caused her heart to speed up.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s just a little spill,” she laughed, “I’m tired of talking.” She leaned toward him slowly again, and he stepped back completely this time, far enough to keep her from touching him.

“No. I mean that kissing you was a mistake.” He looked afraid or in shock, she wasn’t sure. He took a slow breath, and it seemed to steady him, though he still wouldn’t look at her with those wide eyes. He ran his hand through his hair as he shook his head.

She crossed her arms and took a quiet breath to slow her heartbeat. Looking at him through lowered lids, she realized she should have expected this from him. She didn’t want to make this easy for him, so she kept silent and waited.

He looked up at her finally, and without a word he spun around and rushed out the door, slamming it behind him.

She let out a shallow sigh. He wasn’t ready yet, not ready to accept that they belonged together not just through good and bad times, but through darkness too.

 

* * *

 

The chatter in The White Rabbit helped to keep him from thinking too much.

After leaving Emma’s house, he’d wandered the streets until he ended up at the docks, but seeing his ship only reminded him of too many things. Going to Granny’s Diner was even worse. The mood had been celebratory; something had happened today that had lifted people’s spirits, and after hearing the gossip of what Regina and the others had accomplished, he had little desire to remain there.

Now he sat alone at the only real bar in town, where a few others were seated. There was plenty of noise from the pool tables, plus there was music, and the noise felt like a barrier between him and the world. The bar tender didn’t talk to him, even to refill his glass, and neither did anyone else. People of this town had learned quickly how sharp his tongue could be when he was angry.

“You know, Jack will sell you the whole bottle if you ask.”

Of course there was always one person that just had to speak up.

Belle took the seat to his left, and he could feel her eyes on him. She set her enchanted glass cloche on the bar in front of her. Quite a few petals had fallen from the rose, suspended in a floating circle below the bud, but most of the rose was still intact.

“I take it you followed me from Granny’s?”

“I did.”

He took another gulp from his glass, finishing it off. As the bartender walked by, Belle reached into her purse and slid three money notes on the table, each with the number 10 imprinted on them.

“The whole bottle and another glass, please?” Belle’s lovely voice was the epitome of civilized, and it made him want to hit something. After they’d made their peace with each other, over time of course, after the supposed death of Rumplestiltskin, she’d started to think well of him. What would she think now, if she knew how right Emma was about him?

The bartender slid the bottle between them and smiled at Belle as he picked up the money. The short fat rum bottle was labeled Appleton Estate, and it made him smile.

“Do you think Regina would ever touch rum if she knew it had a name involving apples?” He looked at Belle with a half smile, and she giggled, tilting her head down to try hide her smile. He grabbed the bottle and poured out more liquor for them both.

“So, you tried to kiss her?”

“Aye. She didn’t even flinch.” He took a swig from the glass.

“I’m sorry.” Her hand twitched away from the cup, as if to reach out to him, but she didn’t move.

He looked toward her, and in her eyes there was more than sympathy. There was respect. They both knew what it felt like to fight for a cause that everyone else said was impossible. He knew from their talks how often people had questioned her resolve to stick by Rumple. Killian had been told many times over that killing the Dark One was futile.

“It’s not over. I spent over a century trying to find a way to kill the bloody Crocodile, I can spend at least that long trying to save the woman I love.”

His brave face worked. Belle nodded and raised her glass to him, and he raised it in return, clinking them together. As he drank, he thought of what he’d overheard Snow say at the diner: that they might lose Emma. Before today, Killian hadn’t thought that he might lose himself along the way. What if he couldn’t resist her? She was his home. Right now, all the lights in his home were off, and he wasn’t sure anymore if he even cared.


	2. Changing Winds

Emma stared at the separated pieces of the dwarf’s axe. _Happy_. What awful name’s those dwarves had. She left the axe blade on the ground and climbed back upstairs. She slowly paced between kitchen and living room, and paused when she passed a dark oval spot on the wall. When she’d moved in, she had removed a mirror in the living room. Regina had once told her that mirrors could be used to spy on people. She quickly walked over to the cupboards near the couch and pulled it out again.

Placing it back on the wall, she touched her fingers to the frame lightly. The surface shimmered and she saw the sheriff’s station. Empty. Regina’s office was empty as well. Then she saw Belle standing behind the shop’s counter, and to her surprise David and King Arthur were there. She listened for a minute, waiting for them to get past the pleasantries; David didn’t actually seem concerned about Rumple’s life and he wasn’t doing a great job pretending. Then Belle said something that made Emma perk up.

_“…I found a healing spell in one of his old notebooks. I’ve got everything put together except one last ingredient. I need an object that touched him when he was still a man…”_

Emma sighed; Belle was usually smarter than this, or maybe she didn’t know the story of Rumple and Milah as well as Emma did.

An object that had touched Rumple as a man? Why, the Jolly Roger of course.

She needed to see Killian, she decided. She needed to know if his feelings for her were enough. If the spell required the total destruction of the object, which it likely did, then Killian might not take it well when she destroyed his beloved vessel.

Belle and David had stopped talking about anything of interest to her, so she waved her hand at the mirror, and there he was. She took a look at Killian’s surroundings and smiled. Granny’s Diner.

 

* * *

 

Killian and Robin sat at the bar of Granny’s, discussing Zelena’s pregnancy. It was the first time in the last two days Killian had managed to stop thinking about Emma for 5 minutes.

“You got yourself a complex situation, that’s for sure.”

Robin set his phone down and folded his hands, “Unlike your simple love life.”

Before he could respond, Granny interrupted by leaning in between them and placing a large brown bag on the table.

“Order up!”

“I didn’t order anything,” Killian said, but Granny was already briskly walking away.

“Well what does it say?” Robin tapped the note stapled to the bag.

 _Meet me on your ship, Emma_.

 

* * *

 

The familiar creaking boards settled his nerves as he climbed down the ladder to his quarters. If she weren’t on the deck, then she’d be here. He circled the room, looking for any more notes she may have left or any signs she’d been there. The bed to the left looked the same as before; no one had slept in it in months. He walked between the small table and the window, his eyes briefly taking in the sight of the docks.

He felt the boards beneath his feet shift and creak. He spun around, and Emma was there, white hair and crocodile leather.

“It’s not funny appearing like that,” he said, eyeing her outfit. He hadn’t seen her wear it since the night they arrived back in Storybrooke, and it reminded him far too much of the reptile skins that Rumplestiltskin often wore.

“Sorry.”

The ship lurched slightly, enough to make him stumble.

“What’s going on?!”

“Look outside,” she said calmly, in what was probably meant to be a reassuring voice.

He looked out the window, and saw the piers in the distance sliding away. The ship was sailing, no doubt propelled by her magic.

“I know this has all been really confusing, and I have not made it any easier. So I thought,” she paused, looking away from him for a moment, running her fingers across the table, “we could just talk and have lunch like old times.” She paused, and smiled slightly, “And I thought here would be nicer than getting stared at in public.”

“I’d like nothing more, but this is hardly like old times”. No sooner had he plunked the bag of food on the table, than it was magically laid out on plates and a tablecloth. The wine was her addition; there’s no way it would have fit in the bag he was carrying.

“Better?” He turned to look at her, and her appearance had changed as well. Back was her normal hair color, albeit in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing the same dark blue dress she’d worn on their first date.

“Come on. You know you can trust me.” She held her hand out, and without thinking he wrapped his fingers around it. She sat, and pulled him down into the chair next to hers. They kept their hands linked, lying across the table.

“You know I _want_ to trust you.”

She popped a French fry into her mouth, but it didn’t hide the smile forming on her lips.

“Why don’t you help me by answering a question. The new house, what’s behind that locked door?”

She hesitated, then quickly swallowed her food, and said, “You know, with my powers I could hide anything from your prying eyes.”

“So you didn’t hide it because…?”

She didn’t answer, only smiled mischievously.

He pulled his hand away into his lap, shifting in his seat.

“I know…last time you said you’re… still my Swan. But you’re not just her; you’re something else now too. _She_ didn’t play games.”

“ _You_ used to,” she declared. She learned forward and put her chin on her hand. “You used to love the challenges that living life brought. What happened to that man, the man who lived for the fight? The way you challenged Rumplestiltksin! The way—”

He surged out of his seat, “You’re wrong. I was the villain in that little drama, Swan.” He turned his face away from her stare. “He was a good man trying to keep his family together,” he said, and grabbed the sword laying on the wide windowsill, “I took this cutlass and put it to his head, and taunted him. He—”

“No, Hook, listen.” She held up her hands in pleading. “You told me how you went to face him, _after_ he was the Dark One. You knew you were going to die that night, yet you went to duel him anyway. You wanted to die fighting. You wanted to die protecting Milah, protecting your crew. _That’s_ the moment I meant. And countless other moments! You used to be so playful, and always ready for a fight. You lived for the moment.”

“And you used to be compassionate.”

She scoffed. “I used to be scarred and judgmental and closed off. But now, I…” she stared off, turning her face away from the window’s light. “I’m not scared anymore,” she said in a hushed tone, looking back at him with a small smile.

He leaned his head back, staring at her in disbelief. “You think you’re… _better_ as the Dark One?”

She clenched her jaw, but looked him in the eye as she said, “Yes.” She picked up the wine bottle and pours two glasses. “And you were better before.”

“What?”

“How is this life better? Your excitement for life has dwindled down to nothing. Protecting a town full of people who only tolerate you. Waiting for someone else from my parents past or Regina’s past to show up again and ruin our happiness. Pretending to care about them. Pretending to be someone you’re not.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he sputtered, clenching his hand into a fist.

“Come on, Killian. You told me all about your life with your brother. What you described sounds nothing like the man I bonded with on that beanstalk.”

“You made it quite clear back then that you didn’t trust me, not when my head was filled with vengeance.”

“I didn’t understand what it felt like,” she said, her voice softening with sympathy. “I do now. I see things clearly. I can feel the clarity of what you felt, the clarity…” she paused and licked her lips, searching for the right word.

“The clarity of hatred,” he said softly, finishing her sentence.

“Yes!” she whispered excitedly, “You remember what that felt like? You’ve felt it all your life ever since Liam died. It changed you forever, and I love that you tried to reclaim who you used to be before then, but, Killian, it’s not possible. You changed, and that’s okay.”

He stared at her for a moment before getting up. He walked past her, circling the room. The room was too small the pace in, so he settled his backside against the edge of the bed, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops. Her words scared him; what if they were true? He wanted to be an honorable man, but he’d lost so much. There were times when he thought he was decent still, but was that only compared to people like Pan? Like Cora? It was all too easy for him to work with the worst of the worst. People like Ursula and Aurora, who’d shown him nothing but kindness, hadn’t been safe from him. He remembered how easily he had broken his own code when he betrayed them.

He ran his hands through his hair and made an exasperated sigh. He could see Emma was watching him from her seat, looking over her shoulder. She got up slowly, putting down her glass, before coming to stand between his legs.

“I love you. And I’ll keep loving you no matter what you do. You are not a simple man Killian Jones. I think you are always changing with the winds. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, most of the time you’re both.” She brought her hands up and laid them on his chest, “I have a question for you. Do you love me? If you tell me you don’t love me I will let you go.”

He kept his head down, looking at her silk dress brushing against his jeans.

“Yes. I love you.” He breathed his next words, almost talking to himself, “but I liked you the way you were. I liked your walls. I liked bringing them down.”

“You think those walls aren’t still there? You think I’d be so candid with anyone but you and Henry? Honestly, I’m an open book if you’re willing to take that trust step.”

His head snapped up. “Are you really suggesting that we move forward in a real relationship?”

She shrugged. “Gold and Belle loved each other.”

“I don’t think you should use the Crocodile as your example,” he said darkly, pushing her hands off his chest and standing up straight. She backed up two steps and kept her eyes on the ground.

“I cannot be that man again, so stop asking me to be! Now, I am done humoring you. You want something from me? Ask for it!”

She looked back up at him, tears in her eyes. “All I need is your trust. I promise.”

He sighed heavily, and deliberately stopped looking at her face so he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “I’m either steering home or swimming home. Tell me which.”

She was silent, staring at him, but he refused to meet her eyes.

“The ship’s yours.” Then she was gone, leaving behind the untouched food.

 

* * *

 

Emma observed from a shadowed alley as Hook walked down the dock toward the town. She had been waiting for him to return, so that she could take the sword without him noticing. She could have taken it while she was there, but she was afraid he’d notice it missing after she left, so she waited. After today, he might not want to return to his ship for a while.

She appeared back in his cabin and plucked the sword off the windowsill. Holding the sword, she relaxed. She didn’t have to destroy the Jolly Roger. Hook had given her another object to use for her spell: a sword that had touched Rumple when he was a man. He’d never mentioned that part of the story before; it had been a stroke of luck that he’d mentioned it.

Emma glanced at the table, seeing that he’d removed the food and probably stored the dishware in a cupboard somewhere. Or maybe he’d thrown everything overboard.

Then she took a step to leave and heard a crunch. She looked down and saw glass on the floor. Her eyes followed the trail of glass, and saw the red wine stain on the wooden wall.

Her hand tightened on the hilt of the sword. She looked up, blinking away the tears. He loved her; he did. He’d said it himself, and she’d heard the pain in his voice and knew it to be true.

Even when he had been filled with vengeance, he had never taken the opportunities to actually hurt her. He’d cared about her since he met her. If only she hadn’t been so scared, she’d have seen that. She’d lived her whole life feeling unwanted.

Good or bad, Savior or Dark One, she wanted to be with him. And good or bad, Killian or Hook, he would be with her. She’d just make sure it was the latter.

 

* * *

 

He cared, of course he did. He wasn’t pretending. He cared about Belle. He cared about Henry. He cared about David. A part of him even cared about Regina, though he’d never admit it. She reminded him of himself too much. He jerked the ropes into place, anchoring the ship to the edge of the dock.

He barely noticed the people and cars passing him as he skulked down Main Street. When he almost tripped over a folding sign next to a white picket fence, he looked up and noticed he was outside Granny’s. Robin was in the window, and it gave Killian an idea. He rushed inside, and slid in the booth across from him.

“Good, you’re still here.”

“Do you need me?” Robin put down his burger.

“Yea. Emma’s new house. I was there yesterday. There’s a door in there that she doesn’t want me anywhere near. I want to know what’s behind it.”

“Have you asked her?”

“Asking accomplished nothing. She’s beyond that. I need a thief.”

Robin raised his eyebrows, “Former thief. Those days are behind me.”

“Take it from a former pirate. Those days are never behind you. Will you help me?”

Robin studied Killian and considered his answer. He knew he was being rash, and that breaking into Emma’s house might not be the best course of action, but it was Robin’s choice. He needed to stop the Dark One. He’d do it alone if he had to. He needed to prove he wasn’t pretending to be a better man. He needed to do this, to save Emma and to save himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit: the idea that Emma was initially going to use Hook's ship for the spell came from Gia (hellowherearemypeople.tumblr.com)


	3. Two Can Reminisce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Emma starts to fear she may lose Henry’s love, Killian’s belief that the Dark One isn’t truly Emma is starting to falter.

It was time to talk to Rumplestiltskin. The rock basement was too soundproof for her to hear him, but she could feel him there. It was odd, this sense that she got when he was close. As if the darkness had left residue on him.

Her heels clicked down the steps. Rumple was sitting, leaning against the bars at the back of the cave, tied with his arms spread out to either side.

“Comfortable?” She walked towards him, waving her hand to release the ropes. They fell to the ground with a thump.

He used the bars to pull himself up, staring at her with wide eyes. She was silent, keeping a blank look on her face, curious what his first words would be.

“Please let me go.” His hands gestured in front of him, “I need to see Belle.”

“You will.” She smiled thinly, leaning her elbows on either side of the hilt.

He glanced away from her smile, and looked the sword up and down.

“That’s…Excalibur?” He squinted his eyes. “What do you want with that?”

“Tell me, when you were the Dark One did you advertise your plans?”

“My plans were always hidden,” he admitted, “but my reasons were not.”

He rubbed one of his hands over his wrist. “You said last time we spoke that you had a job for me.”

“You think it has to do with Excalibur?” she teased, “What if I asked you to try to pull the sword from the stone? Would you try, or do you believe you can’t be a hero?” She tilted her head, examining his face.

He scoffed, “I won’t be able to do that.” He held out his hand imploringly, “Lo-look, this,” he stuttered, paused and started again, “This is a waste of time, for me and for you. If you keep wasting your time with obtaining more magical objects like this, you’re going to lose your son.”

She straightened, taking her arms off the sword, and glared at him.

He continued, “Every time I used magic, I told myself it was all for my son. To protect him.”

“How noble,” she said, voice flat.

“Despite my best intentions, I still lost him.”

He was trying to manipulate her with shared pain into letting him go. Fortunately for him, she was already planning on letting him out.

“I’m stronger than you were.”

He gave a subtle shake of his head, “That really doesn’t matter.” He half shuffled, half fell forward, grabbing the stone to steady himself. “The more you justify what you’re doing, the more you push them away. Take it from me, you will always lose the ones you love the most.”

Emma clenched her jaw. She would _not_ lose Henry. She had hurt him once, indirectly, but he would understand. One day he would.

“Get out of my sight!” She threw out her hand, and Rumple flinched. The gate in the bars flew open with a bang, reverberating off the wall. The rock behind the bars disappeared, revealing a tunnel with no lights.

Rumple glanced behind him, and looked back at her.

Her hand twitched upward in a claw-like gesture, aching to throw a fireball at him. He noticed the movement, and stumbled backwards threw the gate. She swung the gate closed again, latching it. Without another word or look, he took off down the tunnel, using the wall to support himself.

It would take him awhile to get back to the surface, but it made no difference. He would find Belle, and then her plan would be in motion.

Right now she wanted to see Henry, but that was probably unwise.

Her thoughts wandered to her workroom, filled to the rafters with dream catchers. Killian’s memories. Henry’s. Violet’s…

* * *

 

Emma took a deep breath to steady herself, sniffling and blinking away the last of the tears. She spun sharply and headed to the house, locking the shed behind her with a wave of her fingers.

She stomped up the back steps, rushing inside and tossing the dream catcher onto the dining table. She stood there a moment, whipping the tears off her checks with the back of her hand. Fire appeared in her hand, and she brought it up. Reaching down with the other hand, she picked up the catcher, slowly.

She could destroy it, and keep Violet or Henry or anyone else from ever knowing. Violet would never remember breaking his heart, and Henry would never know what Emma did to free Merlin.

She moved her flaming hand closer to the dream catcher, the flames nearly touching the edge, soot coating it.

She dropped it, extinguishing the flame as well. Swallowing, she dropped her hand. She couldn’t do that to Violet. One day, they might need those memories. All of them. As painful as her own memories often were, she needed them. They made her who she was.

Someone rapped sharply on the door, startling Emma from her thoughts. She glanced once more at the dream catcher, before walking away.

She opened the door quickly with a carefully relaxed expression, expecting Regina or Hook once more, but instead it was Henry. He leaned against the porch pillar casually, legs crossed and hands resting in front. Emma smiled softly, surprised that he had come to her. Last time she’d seen him; he hadn’t let her touch his hand.

She stepped out and let the door close behind her, easing towards him with smooth steps.

“Do you remember why I first brought you to Storybrooke?”

“Of course. Operation Cobra: bring back all the happy endings.” Was he here to reminisce?

“Well your mission isn’t over,” he declared, and his eyes pleaded with her. For someone so young and unintimidating, Henry was always so confident.

Of course he’d still want her to help people. That was what she was to these people, a Savior. No matter how much he loved her, he still saw her as a Savior first and a mother or a daughter second.

“Henry,” she paused, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Things are different now.”

“They don’t have to be. Show me that the mom I know I still in there somewhere.”

So young, and already so much like her parents. It was good, she told herself, that he hadn’t taken after her _or_ Regina. After the things he’d been through in the last few years, and everything else life would likely bring him, he’d need that optimism.

“She is. This is me.”

“Then prove it. Help me return my friends happy ending.”

Ah, the horse. He had showed up quicker than she expected. Emma smiled took Henry’s hand, walking him to her car.

* * *

 

Regina reached over and Killian handed her the dream catcher. Belle leaned closer, looking over the dangling feathers and hanging seashells.

“They can be more than just objects of folklore. When imbued with magic, they can be quite powerful.” Her finger tapped the edge in thought, “I think I know how Emma took our memories.”

Regina brought the threaded ring closer to her face, examining the pieces. She was quiet for a long moment, and Killian exchanged a look with Belle, who looked confused and curious. Killian, however, knew that look well. She had just discovered a powerful object and a puzzle all in one.

“We can’t linger here long, you said Emma was on her way back?” Robin held out a hand gesturing towards the front door.

“Yes! Of course, let’s go.” She looked up with a sheepish expression. She tucked the dream catcher under her arm and the four of them rushed out the door to stand on the porch. As soon as the lock clicked, a white rippling sheen of magic spread out from the door handle, fading away after a few seconds.

Regina raised her eyebrows and made a happy grunt. “Well, I _hope_ that means Emma won’t realize we were here.”

She raised her arm and flicked her wrist upwards, and they appeared in the center of Belle’s shop.

Belle blinked rapidly, a little startled. Robin seemed unperturbed, so Killian figured that dating a sorceress had inured him to the sudden teleportation she was prone to using.

“How exactly would Emma use a dream catcher to steal someone’s memories?” Killian asked.

Regina blew out a breath, “Well, usually one has to brush the catcher over the body of another.” She fiddled with the object, spinning it back and forth with her fingers. “But that only copies the memories so someone else can view them first hand. To steal memories…” She frowned.  

Belle spoke up. “Can you figure out whose memories are in that dream catcher, or how to view them?”

“It’ll take some time, but yes, I think I can. I should get to my house and see if I’ve got anything that would help.”

Robin placed his hand on her forearm, “I’ll catch up with you later, I’ve got to go check on Roland.”

They split up, Belle disappearing into the back room and Robin headed in the opposite direction of Regina’s house, after giving her a kiss on the cheek and whispering something in her ear.

Killian motioned for Regina to wait.

“A moment, Regina.” He glanced back into the shop and could see Belle’s shadow passing in front of the curtain to the back room. He led Regina around the corner to the right side of the brick building.

She frowned at him, “What is it?”

“I wanted to ask you if you…had any theories as to why Emma took Rumplestiltskin’s body? What I learned about the Dark One curse never included anything about a former Dark One that survived. It’s never happened before. Is it possible that he still had latent magic of use? Or information that only he would have about the curse itself? You and he used to be friends of a sort, and he didn’t keep as many secrets from you as he did from…other people.” Killian appreciated that Regina didn’t have to have things spelled out for her.

“It’s entirely possible. If that is the case, I doubt even Rumple knew about it,” she pondered, frowning. “Maybe Merlin would know. _If_ we knew where he was.”

Her frown disappeared and she looked at him with raised eyebrows. “I’m surprised you even care. I thought you only tolerated him.” Her lips quirked, and he realized how this conversation probably sounded like a flip of his earlier accusation that she cared about him.

“That’s not it. I rather think Belle’s better off without him.”

She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. “We all know you hate him, but, Hook, you know he’s not the Dark One anymore.”

“Yes, but he’s still a coward. Not all Dark Ones are the same,” he added, his voice rising, “The way Emma acts is proving that. Who he was informed who he became.”

“Emma’s no coward, but doesn’t make her less, “ she struggled for the right word, “Well, less dark!” She stared at him in disbelief.

He waved his hand, “No, no, that’s not what I meant. Just that, well, she may not act the same as the Crocodile often did, either because of who she was, because of how she became the Dark One, or because Rumple’s alive…any number of things really.”

Regina’s eyes unfocused and she looked away, pondering his suggestions.

He sighed, “Anyway. We should just keep in mind that Emma’s position as the Dark One may be influenced by Rumple still being alive.”

“You’re assuming she hasn’t killed him already. Though I’m not sure why she would.”

He glanced at the side door of the pawn shop, and Regina followed his gaze, “For now, Belle can hope.”

* * *

 

After Killian spoke to Regina, he met up with David and Snow and told them of their discoveries. They discussed the implications, and decided to tell Arthur.

They found him at the party with Guinevere as the sun was setting. Belle joined them at the last minute, and the six of them had settled onto a picnic table.

The look on Arthur’s face now was one of single-minded fury. Killian remembered how that felt when he was on his quest for the dagger. The burning rage and despair that shut out all other distractions. There were few moments when that fire left him. Ursula had been able to soothe his despair twice, but it was only a temporary fix.

Arthur continued his explanation, “There’s a reason they resemble each other. They were forged as one weapon, and then broken in two. I’ve spent years trying to reunite them.”

Snow leaned forward, “That’s why you were so interested in the dagger when you arrived.” She and David glanced at each other, a look passing between them. Killian would wager that there had been signs of Arthur hiding information; signs they had ignored.

“I apologize for not telling you sooner,” Arthur said, and he almost sounded sincere, “but I had to make sure I could trust you. The restored weapon has great power. It can eradicate all dark magic forever.”

“That’s a good thing,” David commented.

“Of course! But in the wrong hands it can also destroy all light magic.”

The four of them stilled, and he thought he heard an audible gasp from Snow. Belle frowned, no doubt wondering if she’d ever read any legends about such a thing being possible. Killian had definitely never heard of it.

“That’s her plan,” Killian whispered, looking to David, “To snuff out her light forever.”

Snow spoke up after a moment, but Killian barely heard the words. Emma was born with light magic, unlike Regina who had only used it a couple of times. Did that affect her being the Dark One? If her light magic was getting in the way of her using her dark magic to it’s full potential, that would explain why she was trying to get rid of it, just like the time the Snow Queen caused Emma to lose control of her magic.

There was still a chance that Emma _couldn’t_ fully embrace the darkness with her light magic in the way.

Before they’d entered that house, he hadn’t been sure if Emma was hiding something down there just to play with him, or if it was truly important. Now, Killian couldn’t be more grateful that he’d decided to break in, even if just to prove to himself that he still wanted to do the right thing.

The four of them split up, wandering the street; though they all looked as uninterested in the festival as he felt.

But why had she wanted him to see that door? She must have known he’d get in and figure it out somehow. He ambled down the street, letting his mind wander as he took in the sights of the games. The people were a jumble of modern jeans and jackets interspersed with traditional dresses and tunics.

Perhaps she wanted his help to get rid of her magic. There could be some spell she already knew of to get rid of her light magic, and she needed him to play some part in that. If that were the case, she wouldn’t get it. He’d go to the ends of the earth to save her.


	4. Darkness Is A Funny Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma uses Belle to pull the sword from the stone, but not without some good old fashioned manipulation tactics. Hook and Emma meet in secret, and he finally discovers why Emma needs Excalibur so badly.

“Running never made anyone a hero!” Belle shouted. Rumple limped after her, pleading with her to stop.

Emma smirked when she heard Belle’s first words upon leaving the car. Standing your ground did often make people heroic, but it also sometimes made them stupid.

Emma had felt it when Rumple’s presence started to reach the borders of Storybrooke. She’d considered the possibility that he would try to leave, so she’d kept track of him.

She was in the undergrowth, hidden by the shadows of treetops too thick for moonlight to penetrate. She walked closer, curious how it would play out.

When the car had reached the town line, she’d almost created a magical barrier to stop it from crossing. It wouldn’t have injured them, other than maybe a bit of seatbelt whiplash. Thankfully, Belle had opened the door, causing the car to squeal to a halt, which kept Emma from interfering.

Rumple was recounting a tale about the Ogres War. Apparently, he’d spun the story to Belle before in a way that made him sound better than he was. He’d been afraid. Of course, that was before he was the Dark One.

“I’m a coward, Belle. That’s never going to change.” He took one of her hands in his, “Please, come back in the car.” Emma narrowed her eyes at his words. _Not on my watch_ , she thought.

“This is the only way I know how to protect you.” He walked backwards, pulling her hand with him, but Belle didn’t budge.

“Protect yourself you mean,” she said, her voice resigned. She dropped his hand and stepped backwards. Rumple leaned towards her, desperation on his face.

She shook her head, turning away. Emma let out a breath, glad that everything was going according to plan.

He called after her, once, twice. But she was already striding down the road quickly. Rumple stood there, his hand falling to his side, staring after her. Emma moved from behind her tree to glance at Belle. She was rounding the bend in the road, disappearing quickly. She wouldn’t see a thing.

Rumple turned slowly, shambling back to the car and getting in. A few moments passed, before the engine rumbled to life in the quiet night. She waited until the car started to drive forward slightly, before teleporting to the road. Rumple jumped, eyes wide. The car jerked to a halt.

She stepped towards the old car, and placed her hands on the metal nose.

“You’re not going anywhere, Mr. Gold,” she drawled, “You’re going to stay here until I’m finished with you.”

Emma straightened, smiling, and glided around to the driver’s side, trailing her fingers along the hood of the car.

“What’s that phrase you always say?” She paused for effect and looked away as if thinking.

“Ah ha!” She snapped her fingers, and pointed at him, “I know you better than you know yourself, _dearie_.”

She smiled, and he disappeared from inside the car in a cloud of black smoke.

* * *

 

 

Belle was finishing tying the knots as Merida groaned. She yanked the shoelace tight, and then pulled Merida onto her side to see her face.

“Are you alright?”

She squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them again.

“Aye, I think so. You stopped me. _Thank you.”_

Merida tried to sit up, and Belle grabbed her arms and helped, getting her all the way to her feet.

“I remember you from Camelot. Emma almost killed you.” Merida nodded, and Belle continued, “She has your heart doesn’t she?”

She sighed, looking down. Her red hair fell over her face, obscuring her expression. It looked as if she was trying to test the knots behind her back, but Belle had been tied up and locked in places a lot. She’d taken the time to learn how to tie, and get out of, secure knots. It would hold.

She stopped wiggling her arms and looked up. “Aye. She told me to try to kill you.”

“Me? So Rumple had nothing to do with it? You were shooting at both of us!”

“He may have. I don’t know. Witches like her don’t reveal information they don’t have to.”

Belle huffed in annoyance, and then thought of something, “Wait… you said _try_. She told you to _try_ to kill me?”

“I don’t think she actually wants you dead. Or maybe not yet.”

“Fine. Then let’s go ask her.” Belle grabbed Merida’s arm, and marched her back onto the road back towards Storybrooke.

 

* * *

 

Belle was fuming. The longer it took to get to Emma’s house, the angrier she got. For the first time in her life, she wished she had the ability to teleport. She stomped up the front steps with Merida trailing behind. She wasn’t surprised when she reached for the handle and discovered that the protection spell was down. The door slammed open, and the two of them headed for the slightly ajar basement door. A trail of orange light bulbs attached to the wall followed the stairs downwards, and circled the room. Her shoes crunched onto the reddish gravel floor for the second time that week.

Emma stood in the center of the room, in front of Excalibur’s stone, her back facing them. Belle stopped a few feet away, hands fisted at her sides. Merida stood awkwardly behind her.

“She bested me. Fair and square.”

Merida may as well not have spoken for all the attention Emma gave that comment. “I was getting worried. For a moment I thought I was going to have to drag down here myself.” Emma turned gracefully around as she said the last words.

Belle glanced back at Merida, who was standing against the stone railing, as far away from the Dark Swan as possible.

“You obviously didn’t send her to attack me for no reason. So what do you want?”

“I wanted you to understand that I have endless tools at my disposal to hurt you with if you don’t agree to my request.” Her next words were said with a hint of cruel amusement, “If I’d really wanted to make it hurt, I would have sent Rumple after you.”

Belle slapped her arms against her sides in exasperation. “Yes. You’ve made your point. You’re very powerful. Now why are you doing all this? Why kidnap Rumple?! What have you been doing to him?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to have a chat with him. I was curious what kind of man he was without the darkness. And I learned exactly what I needed to know.”

Belle narrowed her eyes, confused. Hesitantly, she said, “What did you learn?”

“I learned what you just did. That the darkness made him better.”

Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out. She didn’t know where to begin to argue with that statement.

“Now, if you’re done asking questions about a man who left you, I’d like you to do that favor for me.

Belle clamped her mouth shut and lifted up her chin. She hesitated a moment, but decided it was better just to get this over with. “Fine, what is it?”

“It’s simple. Be the hero you were born to be.” She stepped to the side, presenting Excalibur behind her. “Remove the blade.”

She looked at the sword, gleaming in the yellow light. After hearing what Arthur said about Excalibur’s purpose, it wasn’t wise to remove the sword and give it to Emma. Belle started to regret confronting Emma, but then she glanced back at Merida. Emma would keep using people in this town to hurt others, and eventually she’d get what she wanted. _I’ll bet_ , Belle thought, _that joining the two blades isn’t easy, and requires more ingredients not easily obtained_. They would still have time after this night to stop Emma from reunited the blade, from trying to destroy light magic.

“I know you won’t stop wreaking havoc.”

“Good. We understand each other.”

“But I won’t pull Excalibur unless you return Merida’s heart.”

Emma glared at her, but Belle refused to back down. “You need me. If you could just rip my heart out and command me to pull the sword, you would have. But you can’t, can you? A hero needs to willingly pull the sword. So…” she couldn’t believe she was about to say these next words, “do we have a deal?”

Merida leaned forward quickly, rushing to get the words out, “And my brothers! I want to know what happened to them.” Belle nodded at Merida and smiled slightly.

Emma’s jaw clenching as she considered briefly, then she snapped her eyes towards Merida. Her arm whipped out from behind her back, a heart in her hand. Merida tensed in pain, and walked jerking steps towards her. Emma’s hand shot forward towards Merida’s chest. Belle couldn’t see Merida’s face behind the massive red hair that looked like copper in the yellow light, but she heard her gasp in pain.

Emma stared into Merida’s eyes coldly, “I was finished with this anyway.”

Merida stumbled two steps back, gasping for breath.

Belle rushed to steady her and untie the shoestring around her wrists. “And the brothers?”

“They’re fine, safe and sound by their mother’s side. Now get on with it!” Emma shouted the last sentence, the words ringing against the cave walls.

Belle slowly walked towards Excalibur, her heels crunching on the gravel. She stood in front of the stone, examining the markings a second time, when a thought occurred to her.

“What happens if I can’t pull it from the stone?” she said haltingly. She couldn’t take her eyes off the design that mirrored the Dark One blade.

“Then the Apprentice’s broom will be sweeping your remains from the floor,” she declared.

Belle’s eyes jerked to Emma and back to Excalibur repeatedly. Swallowing her fear, she took a breath and stepped forward, grasping the hilt with one hand.

She tightened her grip and pulled. For a moment, she felt nothing. Then the sword scraped upward, steal ringing against stone. She twisted her hand, spinning the blade upward.

She gasped at the beauty of it, the lights reflecting off the silver and black metal. She’d never found the dagger to be beautiful; it’s dark purpose was too distracting. This, however, was something else. She felt tears in her eyes, and she blinked them away rapidly. She let go of the breath she was holding, and lowered the sword.

Emma hadn’t moved, but her presence suddenly felt much closer to Belle than she cared for. She threw the sword on the ground between them.

Looking her in the eyes, Belle licked her lips before saying, “Well, a deal’s a deal.”

She walked past the Dark One, and put her arm around Merida who was still shaking. They headed back up the stairs and out the door, Belle not looking back once.

* * *

 

 

So Merlin couldn’t help them. He was missing or dead, and he’d been terrified of Emma in that message.

Another dead end, and Arthur was against them. How typical. Every time they came back to Storybrooke from some venture, there was a new threat that hitched a ride with them. Killian sneered at the irony. _He_ used to be that intruder to Storybrooke, two years ago when he arrived on his ship with Cora, ready to wreck havoc and murder the Dark One.

The five of them tramped up the stairs. As Killian neared the top, he glanced at the marble coffin that covered up the stairs leading down into Regina’s vault. He hadn’t been into her vault in months, and he hadn’t thought of Cora last time he passed by that stone. Did that make him cold; heartless like her? This time though, when they’d come here to do a spell, he’d thought of her. They hadn’t exactly been friends, but she had mattered in a different way.

Regina put her arm around Henry’s shoulders, and the two headed off. Snow and David nodded at her, knowing that right now he needed to be with his mother. The four of them walked quickly, heading out the cemetery towards their homes. Killian wandered off, not paying attention to where he was going. It was a small cemetery, impossible to get lost in.

His steps were quiet on the grass, and even his clothing was making nigh a whisper, but he knew someone was watching him. He stopped, and waited for Emma to show herself.

One second, two seconds…He turned to look towards the forest that bordered one side of the graveyard, and when he looked back, Emma was standing a few feet from him, smiling lovingly.

Her hair glowed in the moonlight. She was radiant, with or without her new fashion sense. She wasn’t wearing her animal skins this time; instead she wore a long black coat with a high collar and a flared waist. Killian noticed its resemblance to his old black vest and coat.

Her smile grew as he looked her up and down, and she almost took a step forward, hesitating. Instead, he stepped toward her and wound his arms around her back, drawing her close. He bent his head into her neck, feeling her draw her arms up around his shoulders. His mind relaxed as he held her.

He hadn’t seen her since their conversation on his ship. He knew he should stay away from her, but he had missed her touch.

He became acutely aware that he smelled of wood smoke, from the potion’s fire. Would she guess what he’d been doing in the cemetery? Had she been waiting for him to leave? Or was she only here because of their visit to her house?

“I didn’t think you’d want to see me,” he murmured, moving his head back to look into her eyes. Their faces were close enough he could feel her breath.

“Why wouldn’t I want to see you? That’s all I want. I want my boys with me.” She eased one of her hands into the hair at the nape of his neck, and Killian shivered at the touch.

“Well, you know it was me that let the others into your house. It didn’t work when Regina touched the handle.”

“Well I had been hoping it would be _just_ you. I know you love to be the lone daredevil sometimes,” she teased, her voice lowering seductively.

He tilted his head, studying her face. He wondered if she knew what Arthur had told them, about Excalibur being used to destroy light or dark magic.

“Are you playing mind games with me, Swan?” he asked rhetorically, “What does me seeing Excalibur do for you?” He slid his arms off her back, letting them hang at his sides. “I don’t appreciate the secrets one bit.”

“Are you going to say its bad form?” she smiled, her tongue sliding along her teeth.

He pursed his lips, simultaneously annoyed and amused. He _had_ been thinking that. She stopped playing with his hair, and she slid her hands down to rest on his forearms.

“I wanted you to see the sword because I wanted you to see for yourself the markings on the blade.” She swallowed thickly, all traces of humor leaving her face. “It’s going to be easier to explain myself now that you’ve seen for yourself that Excalibur and the dagger are connected. I didn’t want you to think I was lying.”

Her voice, her eyes, everything about her seemed sincere, but there was something else. The corners of her mouth were turned down, and she looked away from his face.

“Emma?” He frowned at her, worried.

She moved her hands inside his jacket, sliding them along his middle to his back. She looked up at him, and she was close enough that he could see the faint freckles patterning her nose.

His breathing grew shallow, and her eyes shifted back and forth between his.

She leaned the last couple of inches to his face, but paused, letting her lips brush against his without actually kissing him. She paused, and in that moment he saw her fear of rejection. He leaned his head into hers.

Their eyes closed slowly, their lips molding into one another. Her lips were warm against the chill of the night, and she smelled of earth and forest. He slid his arms under hers once more, squeezing her against his chest. She shivered, and he pulled away from her for a moment, their noses brushing against each others.

The intensity in her eyes was intoxicating, and he kissed her again, harder this time. Her feet moved, and her body pushed him backwards a few steps before he bumped into a towering grave pillar. He grunted at the sudden impact. Her entire body pressed against his, warm and soft.

She took her hands away from his back, running them along his chest. She tilted her head the other way, pulling at his lip with her teeth gently. He responded in kind, and slid his tongue into her mouth.

Her fingers reached up and started to unbutton his shirt. He gasped quietly into her mouth when she started running her fingers through his chest hair.

Their movements were slow, despite their intensity, and after a few minutes he loosened his grip on her. She released his lips, and gasped, “Killian, I missed you.”

“Aye. And I you.” He listened to the sound of her breathing, his face still millimeters from hers. She smiled lazily, her breathing ragged.

The sounds of the night came back to him. The crickets seemed louder than before. Her feet scuffed the ground, as she stood straighter, pulling away from him.

His back was cold against the stone, even through the leather, and he shifted, letting his arms fall to his sides.

“You know,” she whispered, “I thought _you_ wouldn’t want to see _me_ , given how our last conversation ended.”

He sighed and looked off behind her, “What you said, about the Crocodile, it made me think of how he treated Belle all those years, lying to her and keeping secrets from her.” He turned his eyes back to her, wanting her to see the depth of his sentiment. “It made me furious.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you. I...” she trailed off. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I need you. And I already feel like I’m losing Henry.”

Killian winced, not sure what to tell her. Was she losing him too? That depended on the perspective. Because she was right about some of the things she’d said before. He was tempted by the darkness. The desire to give in was still there. But he had to fight to be a better person, for her, because she had seen goodness in him.

“I won’t stop fighting, and neither will Henry. He knows…” he paused, not wanting to anger her by saying that Henry believed that this wasn’t Emma. He remembered her heartbroken voice when he’d said the same thing to her in her house, a believe he no longer thought was true. “He knows you love him,” he finished, hoping that would be enough for now. “I’m sorry your boy had to see those memories.”

She turned around, walking a few steps before pausing. She kept her back to him, facing the paved path toward the parking lot. “Me too, but that wasn’t your fault.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I’m the one who found dream catcher,” he challenged.

She spun back towards him, eyes wide with anger. “That doesn’t matter. Regina revealed those memories,” her voice grew harsh and guttural, “and Regina showed Henry.”

He stayed quiet, not bothering to argue with her desire to blame someone. Sometimes finding someone to hate was more of a _need_ than a want. Of course she was having trouble with what she did to Henry. It meant her former self was still there beneath the surface.

“Is that why you took our memories?” he asked quietly, “To spare us the knowledge of things you’ve done in Camelot?” _Like whatever it is you did to Merlin,_ he silently questioned.

She turned her face away, lowering her eyes. “That was only part of it.”

He waited for her to continue, but she was silent. She tilted her head, stretching her neck out.

“It’s late. You should sleep,” she suggested, before walking off.

“Swan,” he called, “you said you were going to explain yourself. About Excalibur.”

She looked over her shoulder, a small smile on her face. “I could tell you, but then you won’t be surprised when you here it from the others.” She smirked, “Wouldn’t it be better if you heard it first from Belle? Then I could tell you the rest of it.”

“Belle?” He shook his head, exasperated, “Emma! Enough games. I already know the answer. I just wanted you to say it. Arthur told us the two blades were forged together. Their markings aren’t just similar; they’re the same.” He took a step towards her, pointing an accusing finger, “And you’re going to use it to snuff out your light magic.”

She hadn’t realized that Arthur told them of what Excalibur could do. He could see it in her face. Perhaps she hadn’t realized that _Arthur_ knew.

“Emma, your light magic is a part of you,” he pleaded. “Why get rid of it?”

The smile fell from her face. She turned her body all the way towards him, but she wouldn’t look at him at first. The corners of her mouth quirked, and she crossed her arms.

She looked down at the ground, hiding her expression from him. Her hands gripped her arms, and her voice was strained as she said, “Light magic was not meant to exist inside the body of the Dark One.”

He considered that for a moment, before asking, “And what does that mean for you?”

A breeze stirred the trees, and the rustling leaves were like whispers. The wind pushed a few strands of hair into his eyes, but he didn’t move a muscle. He had this feeling that that if he moved, she would run from his prying questions. So he waited.

She stood there, feet planted apart, back straight and head down. He couldn’t tell if she was crying or angry or anything.

After what felt like minutes, she finally looked up at him.

With pain in her eyes, she whispered, “It’s hurting me.”

Then she was gone in a spiral of smoke.


	5. It Creeps Up On You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Camelot Flashback). Emma’s darker impulses are provoked in the aftermath of Killian being seriously injured by Zelena.

{In Camelot, 2 weeks before returning to Storybrooke}

She flung open the door into the wall, and the wood vibrated from the impact. There was an arrow sticking out of the door, the tip barely managed to burrow into it.  
Emma looked out, and saw Killian, her parents, and Regina fighting Zelena in the middle of a large circular courtyard with double wooden doors leading out to another part of the grounds. Zelena’s hands were raised, and neither of her wrists bore the dark leather cuff that kept her magic contained.  
Killian was closest to her, and he slipped his hook around her arm, distracting her from Snow knocking another arrow. It didn’t help, however, because in the next instant Killian was flying backwards, across the courtyard away from the commotion. His feet grazed the ground, whisking over the grass. His head hit the wall first with a loud crack. There was a flash of white on his face from gritted teeth, and then his mouth went slack. His fingers dropped the sword they gripped, and it clanged briefly on a large rock protruding through the grass at the base of the castle wall.  
Emma stumbled out the door, forgetting there was a step, and cursed her long dress. She grabbed up her skirts and made to run, and saw Zelena spin away from an arrow. As she spun, green clouds surrounded her. Regina lunged from behind her, reaching for Zelena’s arm, and when the cloud dissipated, they were both gone.  
Emma looked back to Killian, who was already flat on the ground, one of his legs folded under him. She was at Killian’s side in an instant, having teleported without thinking about it. She wrapped her arms around his waist and neck, pulling him gently into her lap. As she did so, he groaned, barely awake.  
“Killian,” she cried. Tears welled up in her eyes as she noticed blood coming out of his ears. That crack…  
She put her hand on his head, and then hesitated. She wasn’t supposed to use magic. Glancing around for Regina, she cursed when she remembered that only seconds ago, she’d disappeared to follow the witch. There was no time, and no telling when Regina would return.  
She gently laid her hands on Killian’s head, her magic glowing through her skin in yellow and red rays. She gasped, seeing in her mind the extent of the damage. At the least the damage wasn’t life threatening like it had been with Robin; the bones weren’t indented. After a few moments, he sighed deeply. Blinking rapidly, he looked up at her from where his head was on her lap, eyes dazed. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then opened them with slightly clearer eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.  
“You needn’t have worried, Swan. I’ve had worse days,” he grumbled. His voice was gruff and low, as if waking from sleep. He pulled himself up from her lap, slightly, still hunched over.  
“Like that time you got hit by a car.”  
He scoffed, and said softly, “and then you chained me to a bed?” He looked at her through lowered lashes, and the side of his mouth quirked up. Her mouth fell open in a smile, and she felt her neck and cheeks heat up. Trust him to flirt with her while he was wounded.  
“How the hell did Zelena get the cuff off?” David’s commanding voice carried across the courtyard towards Emma, and she glanced up to see Snow helping David to his feet, not that he needed it. He looked unharmed and furious.  
“No idea,” Snow said as the two of them walked over to them. Snow called out, “Hook, are you alright? David, he may have a concussion.”  
Kilian leaned his hand and hook on his knees and took a deep breath. He frowned slightly, and then looked at her and nodded.  
“I’m alright. Not dizzy at all.” He smiled at her tightly, and she knew he was lying. She’d wager he was slightly bruised elsewhere, but nothing that needed healing.  
Emma looked up at her mother as she came over and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
“He had a fractured skull,” she said shakily, and all three of them jerked their heads towards her. Killian brushed the back of his head, and his fingers came away with blood on them. He carelessly wiped the blood off on the grass. “It’s alright, now. I healed it.”  
“Emma!” Snow scolded her, her eyes wide. Emma jerked back, surprised at the force of Snow’s tone.  
“Why are you yelling at me,” she asked, silently cursing how her voice sounded like a child’s, “He was injured, badly.”  
“Regina’s magic doesn’t have the same consequences yours does.”  
Emma looked to her father. “Your mother’s right, Emma. You need to be careful.” Despite agreeing with her, his voice was sympathetic.  
“I wasn’t thinking of me. I was thinking of him. And Regina’s disappeared,” her voice trailed off, and unconsciously reached out and took Killian’s hand in hers.  
“It’s alright, Swan,” he said, lacing his fingers through hers. He looked up toward Snow and said, “She doesn’t look like a crocodile. It’s not the end of the world.”  
Regina, of course, chose that moment to rematerialize in the center of the yard with Zelena’s unconscious body, a cuff back around her wrist.  
“That was quick.”  
“Did any of you see how she got the cuff off?” Regina demanded.  
“She had something in her hand.”  
“Well, did you see what it was?” Regina biting voice was directed at Snow, who was handing Killian a cloth. He stood slowly, wiping away the blood from his head and ears.  
“I didn’t see it clearly. It was sparkly and brown.”  
Regina shot an annoyed glare at her over the lack of specificity. She sharply eyed Killian, who was still holding the bloody handkerchief, then her eyes widened and she looked at Emma. “How bad is it?” she asked, pushing back her sleeves and reaching for Killian to heal him.  
“Fractured skull.”  
“He’s been healed,” Emma answered the same time David did.  
“What!” she exclaimed, then her expression calmed as she processed both comments, “And you didn’t think of the consequences of using magic?”  
“You disappeared, Regina! I wasn’t thinking.”  
“Obviously.”  
Emma sprang to her feet, “So it’s okay for you to ask me to heal Robin, but not Hook? As long as it’s not your love who’s on the ground dying the magic isn’t worth it!”  
Regina glared, but pursed her lips together and didn’t argue. Snow and David glanced at each other, and David spoke, “Emma, that’s not what she means.”  
Emma stepped away from the group, fuming. Digging her fingers into her hair, she glanced quickly at Zelena, sprawled across the grass. Her pale blue dress was covered in grass stains, and her hair was a tangled mess.  
Behind her, Regina spoke. “What was Zelena talking about, pirate?” She asked in that tone she used so often, the one that was deceptively polite, “She said you went after her heart.”  
Emma frowned and turned slightly to see Killian’s face. He paused in the middle of taking a breath and glanced at Regina out of the corner of his eye.  
“Yes, well,” he hesitated, licking his lower lip, “when I planned to use her to get to this realm, I also planned to take her heart to make sure she didn’t escape. Obviously that didn’t work out as I had planned.”  
Everyone was quiet for a few moments, aside from Snow’s soft gasp. Emma couldn’t help but feel flattered. She knew how much he detested that act, and that he was willing to do it for her meant a lot.  
“How…ah, the potion I gave you,” she mused, frowning, “Wait, you had extra? It was supposed to be enough for one spell!”  
“Apparently, Your Majesty, you measured out more than you meant to,” he explained, sounded almost apologetic. Almost. Regina raised her eyebrows, looking impressed. Her lips almost twitched up into a smile.  
Just then Killian swayed for a moment, stumbling. David reached out and grabbed his arm.  
“Thanks, mate.”  
Emma felt the fire burst to life in her hand, and she looked to Zelena. First Neal, then Henry, and now Hook. Zelena kept going after the ones she loved; it had to stop. Thrusting out her hand, she sent the fire away from her, wanting to see that red hair turn black.  
“Emma!” her mother’s high-pitched scream rang in her ears.  
The fire roared forwards, and Emma smiled, baring her teeth. Regina was there in an instant, though, and disintegrated the stream of fire with a wave. She took a stance in front of Emma, feet planted apart, shielding her sister from view.  
Killian stepped closer to her, and held a hand out cautiously, “Love, you don’t want to go down that road.”  
“You can’t do that, Emma!” her father chimed in.  
“I can if you let me,” she murmured, keeping her eyes on Regina and ignoring the faces of her parents and lover. Killian must have heard her, because she could have sworn she heard him whisper her name sadly, but he didn’t back away or move closer.  
“Don’t you dare, Ms. Swan. No one hurts my sister but me.”  
“There is another way to deal with her, Emma.”  
Emma ignored Snow, spitting back at Regina, “You don’t have the stomach to get rid of her.”  
“Emma, she’s pregnant!”  
“With Robin’s child,” Regina added.  
“Agh!” Emma swirled around, blasting fire at the stone brickwork behind her instead. The hot air blew her hair backwards, and the fire dissipated quickly with nothing to burn. Black soot branched outwards in streaks, but the outburst did nothing to quell her rage. She turned back around slowly. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Why is she even here?”  
“She’s here because I needed to keep an eye on her,” Regina declared defiantly. “I wasn’t going to leave her in a town where the only thing guarding her was Granny’s crossbow.”  
“Well, you’re doing a bang up job.”  
She stepped forward menacingly, “You better watch it, Ms. Swan, or I’ll show you what dark magic really looks like.”  
“Your Majesty, that’s not helping,” Killian berated.  
Emma laughed humorlessly, and his gaze darted back to hers with raised eyebrows. Her laughter drifted away, and she sassed, “Oh you’ve got fire, like me, but you’re not dark. Not anymore, you saw to that when you decided you wanted to beat the Wicked Witch.”  
“She has a point, Regina, maybe you ought to back off,” Killian suggested. Regina stared wide eyed a him, pursing her lips, before tilting her head down away from their stares.  
“Alright, have you both gotten that out of your systems now?” Snow seemed to have regained her composure, since she was no longer looking at Emma like she feared her. “Good,” she continued, “We need to lock Zelena up, and focus, so we can get back to removing the darkness from Emma. We’re getting close, let’s not forget that.”  
“Again, you mean. Remove the darkness from me again,” Emma glowered at her mother, hating the expression she saw, as if Emma were an unruly child. Her mother had always been too weak to do what was necessary. She had aimed the gun at Pan to get rid of him forever. It had been she who’d killed Cruella when she aimed a gun at Henry’s head. And all the while, Snow was feeling sorry for herself because she killed the Queen of Hearts, who would have turned them all to ash if she’d had her way.  
Speaking softly, she said, “Did you ever think that maybe me taking on the darkness was fate. That the universe is punishing you for removing my darkness from me when I hadn’t even been born.” She didn’t wait for their retort; she didn’t want to hear their excuses. Emma clenched her fists and felt fog envelope her. As the haze clouded her vision, she had one last image of her parent’s heartbroken faces.


	6. Heart to Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To stop the Dark One from removing her light magic, Killian must meet with her alone. When Arthur disrupts their meeting, Killian realizes how just far he’s willing to go to protect Emma.

“We still have time!” Belle pleaded.

“Time?” Regina stared at her incredulously, “You just handed Emma the one thing we could’ve easily kept out of her reach. Not all spell ingredients are hard to come by.”

“So I should have just let her continue to torture the people of this town? She was attacking people.”

Regina huffed and turned away, hands on her hips.

Killian hesitated, not sure if he should reveal what Emma had told him last night. No doubt they wouldn’t believe him, particularly Regina. They didn’t know Emma the way he did. They didn’t see the look on her face when she’d told him that having light and dark magic was hurting her. He winced at the thought of what pain she might be experiencing. Besides, what good would it do? They would still try to stop her no matter what the truth was.

Snow’s voice quavered, “What if Emma already has all the necessary things to rejoin Excalibur with the dagger? How easy would it be to remove her light magic?”

“I’ve been looking into that. There isn’t a lot of information on that, but I think I’m close,” Belle’s expression was confident, but her voice sounded less so. No one called her on it; they were all holding on to that hope right now.

Killian spoke up, “I can go to Emma’s house to see if she’s already remade the sword. I could get into the house before, maybe I still can. I’ll return to the library to assist you with whatever I discover.” 

 

* * *

 

Killian pushed open the white wooden gate to Emma’s house. Snow, David, and Robin had gone to confront Arthur about his betrayal, and to see what else he was keeping from them. Meanwhile, Regina and Belle had gone to the library, to find out what Emma needed to reforge Excalibur and to hopefully gain insight on how Emma could remove her light magic, and how they would remove her dark magic.

His hand lingered over the door handle before clamping down on the cold metal. There was no spark or burn against his skin, so the spell that allowed him in was still in place. He pushed down on the latch, and shoved the door open. He stepped inside and abruptly halted. Emma was waiting for him, leaning against the stair’s banister with her arms crossed. She was dressed all in black as usual, but back in modern clothes: a collared shirt tucked into the waistband of a soft pencil skirt.

“I guess pirates don’t usually call before they plunder someone’s home.” She smirked at him with eyebrows raised high.

Killian’s feet edged slowly forward, his boots sliding over the wooden slats. He left the door open behind him. “Well I would’ve called, but you tend to be unreachable these days.” He smirked sourly.

Her smile faded as she studied him. Tilting her head, she said, “This time it’s you who wants something.”

“Yes,” he hesitated, and then decided being direct might get a better answer, “I want to know if you’ve merged the two halves of Excalibur’s blade.”

Without hesitation, she said, “I have.” Apparently she agreed that subtly was pointless, but she said nothing more.

He licked his lower lip. “Dark Ones, in my experience, don’t like revealing secrets.”

Her fingers tightened on her bicep, but she remained silent.

He tried again, “Emma, I need to know what you meant last night. You said that having this magic is hurting you. The light you were born with and the dark you were…given. Or took, whichever. How am I supposed to know this isn’t a ruse? I’ve seen you perform magic recently and there was no sign.”

She sighed heavily, and for a moment her expression was angry. Then it disappeared as she rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, saying, “It depends on the strength of the spell.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, saying, “And teleportation isn’t a strong enough spell? What about ripping out someone’s heart, hmm?” His lips twisted in a sneer, “Is controlling someone against their will a strong spell?”

The anger returned in an instant. “I don’t know,” she said, “Is it? You were willing to do that to Zelena to come find me in Camelot. You and I aren’t that different.”

He looked down, and whispered, “It’s not the same. All I wanted to do was get Zelena to create a portal. You used that woman to hurt Belle.”

“Just Belle? I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t mention Rumple’s name,” she drawled sarcastically. Before he could counter, she lurched forward. “I never ordered Merida to hurt either of them, no matter how much Gold deserves it. I just needed them scared…” her words trailed off, eyes searching empty air for the words. Her expression darkened, and her voice was low and harsh as she continued, “I needed them _desperate_. It was a small price to pay to allow me to live in peace.”

“In peace?”

“With Excalibur complete, it cannot control me. Not anymore.”

He stared at her in shock. A Dark One that couldn’t be controlled? That was what Rumple had been after, but never succeeded. A part of him felt glad, knowing that she was safe from the control of others. He also knew that the sword could kill her just as easily as the dagger could. It didn’t matter. Every living being needed to have at least one weakness, no matter how powerful. He had counted on that when he’d searched for a way to kill Rumplestiltskin.

He looked away as he mulled over that information. So she was ready to complete the spell and remove her light magic, or she wouldn’t have told him about Excalibur being whole. None of them, not even him, would be able to convince her to stop what she was doing without knowing the reasons.

He needed answers. Answers that Regina and her parents weren’t interested in. Why get rid of light magic? Was it the light she hated, or the dark she loved?

He closed his eyes and slowly ran a hand through his hair, pushing it off his forehead. He reached behind him and pushed the door closed, and started pacing in the entryway.

“What does it feel like?” He whispered, stopping in front of the bay windows with his back to her. “This darkness.”

He didn’t turn to look, but he heard her sigh. Moments, passed, neither of them speaking. He wouldn’t be the one to break the silence.

He opened his eyes to stare at fence outside the window. He’d heard Henry mention the phrase “white picket fence” in a strange away, as if the phrase held a meaning beyond the literal. It was indeed white as a cloud, fresh and shining, as if new. It wasn’t though. The surface in places was so brittle it would chip off if you rubbed at it. White paint on old wood didn’t change the defects; it just hid them.

He heard her move behind him, her heels clunking on the floor. She stepped close enough for him to feel her at his back, but she didn’t touch him.

She spoke in a voice that was sad and intimate all at once, “It feels like I’m finally free. Free to admit things I haven’t wanted to for a long time, even to myself.”

“Admit what, Swan?”

“That I can never be happy being the Savior. It’s only brought me misery.”

He frowned, and turned to face her, gently grasping her arms. Her muscles were hard beneath her soft skin. Softly, he said, “Being the Savior brought you to me. You told me how saving Regina from the wraith landed you in the Enchanted Forest. Do you regret that?”

She shook her head, “Saving her brought me to you the first time around, but saving Regina again almost cost me you. Rumple made me the Savior of his curse. Ever since then, everyone’s been assuming that I was the Savior of.... well, of everyone!” Her voice broke, eyes bright. “Henry said I was meant to bring back the happy endings. But I can’t. I _can’t_ be responsible for everyone all the time.”

“’Course not, but your magic, Swan,” he whispered, “It’s a part of you. You aren’t like the others I’ve met. You were born with it.”

“And look where it got me. Sent through a portal and abandoned by everyone.” She pulled his arms down to grasp his hook and hand in hers, “That part of my life is over. I need to move on.”

Greenish black smoke rose up around their feet, enveloping both of them. Killian looked up at her, and for a moment he saw her eyes wince, then her face was obscured. His body tensed as he felt a burning pain in his hands where his skin touched Emma’s.

Then the scentless smoke faded, and they were surrounded by evergreen trees. The morning air was crisp, and he breathed in the dry air.

“I was hoping you would move on with me.” She stepped back, her fingers gripping his, but he didn’t move to follow her and her hand fell away.

“Emma, “ his voice low and harsh, “What was that?” He stared at her with narrowed eyes. “That pain.”

Her eyes widened as she turned back to look at him. Then recognition lit her eyes and she said, “You felt that?” He nodded slowly. “That was…probably a remnant of what I feel when I use magic,” her eyes traveled to his hands, and then she held out her palms and looked at hers. “I suppose I haven’t been touching you directly when I used magic.”

His lips parted in surprise, and he quickly stepped toward her and grabbed her hand, rubbing his calloused fingers over her palm.

“Just when you use magic?”

“Every time. Maybe it’s something only you can feel. I didn’t think it was possible for you to feel that through me.” She frowned, looking away in thought, “But like I said, it changes with the strength of the spell. If I stopped using magic all together, then I’m sure I wouldn’t feel a thing, but…” she smiled bitterly, looking at his fingertips tracing patterns over her skin, “even when I only had light magic, not using magic wasn’t an option. I use it too often to protect the people I love.” She took his hand in hers, brushing his knuckles over her check.

Then she turned away, and he saw behind her what he hadn’t noticed before. There was an octagonal stone well, with a stone base extending around it. Bits of moss covered the whole thing, including the wooden roof. He hadn’t been here before, but Emma clearly had.

A cloud of black smoke, with tints of green and yellow, enveloped her hand, and then disappeared quickly, revealing Excalibur. He stepped forward involuntarily, to get a closer look at the shining silver and black sword. He almost asked to hold it, to admire it, but he resisted the urge.

She canted it upwards, and he saw her name still etched into the end of the blade.

“Why are we here? What is this place?”

“It’s been here since the beginning of the first curse. Gold used it to bring magic to Storybrooke. It was the place the compass took us to when we returned from your world.” She chuckled, “Henry even thought he could destroy magic by blowing it up. This well is a magical center. And it’s here, because it exists on a magical ley line.”

He wasn’t sure what to say. Knowing for certain that Emma was telling the truth about light and dark magic not belonging together changed things, but he wasn’t sure what.

She stepped onto the stone bricks around the well. He opened his mouth to argue for the other option she refused to acknowledge, but as soon as his feet touched the stone, he felt a thickness in the air, so drastically different from the chill air of the forest, not yet warmed up by the sun. It was like breathing in swamp air it was so thick.

“Will you do this with me? Together.” She looked at him pleadingly, and he nodded slowly, his thoughts muddled by the strange feeling in the air. She spun the sword in her hand to point the blade down, the tip touching the stones. With a deep breath, he reached out and wrapped his hand around hers.

Instantly, his muscles tensed up in excitement. His arm began to tingle, as if it had lost circulation, and then after a moment the feeling ebbed.

He looked up at Emma, and her green eyes were alight, staring at the sword in concentration. His heart was thumping so hard he could hear it, and then when she looked up at him, everything else went out of focus. That was when he saw it.

He saw light, shimmering like sun rays, and after a moment he realized he wasn’t actually seeing it with his eyes. It was in his head. He concentrated, ignoring the feel of his clothes on his skin or her hand underneath his. He could see, or rather feel, that the light rays were inside Emma. He somehow knew that what he was feeling was her magic. It was flowing away from her, towards the sword.

Underneath all the shimmering harsh light was something dark and exciting. The dark magic swirled like liquid metal one moment, and the next it was shards of black glass breaking into the white rays. Where the blackness touched the light, there were flickers of colored light. A memory came to him, but the images didn’t look right. He’d never seen this before. Except it wasn’t his memory.

That’s it. His breath hissed out through his teeth, and he saw the forest surroundings once more. He wasn’t sure if he’d spoken, or if his eyes had been open the whole time. Everything came into focus again, and Emma’s eyes were now locked onto the sword. Her gaze drew his downwards, and now he could physically see white light running like a river of rope around her arm, pouring into the sword.

_No,_ he thought _, this isn’t right_.

Killian took his hand off hers, and grabbed her wrist instead.

“Emma, stop!”

She jerked her gaze to his with startled eyes, and the white ropes of magic faltered and then faded away.

“You can’t run from your magic, Emma.”

“We’ve already discussed this!” She ripped her hand away from his.

“No, you talked; I listened. And your magic isn’t what’s hurting you. You are.”

“What?”

He leaned forward and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her off the stone step around the well. As soon as their feet were on dirt, the thickness in the air disappeared, and he could think more clearly.

He took a deep breath of chill air, and said, “You say your light magic is warring with the dark magic forced on you, but how can you be sure that’s what really happening? There’s never been a Dark One like you before.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Forced? I may have been born with light magic, but dark magic is the magic I chose.”

“Maybe so,” he hesitated, and then softly said, “You also said that being the Savior has brought you misery. But being the Savior of Regina’s curse brought you to Henry. There are many things in your life that have caused you pain, but being the Savior wasn’t one of them.”

She made a frustrated noise, “Ever since I broke that curse–”

“You realized why you were an orphan,” he said, completing her thought. “You hate your parents for abandoning you.”

“Because they did! They let Rumplestiltskin manipulate them into giving me away. They all used me as a pawn!”

“Listen to me, Swan. You were never the Crocodile’s pawn, but you will always be their child. Your magic came from them.”

“So what! I don’t need them. Why is it so important to you that I keep my light magic?”

“I think not having light magic is your way of punishing them.”

Her jaw clenched and she walked away a few steps, turning back around with flashing eyes. But she wouldn’t look at him; wouldn’t face him because she knew he was right. It gave him the tenacity to continue.

“Regina taught you that magic is about emotion, especially anger,” he paused, trying to figure out if his theory made sense, “I think your emotional pain has become physical. It’s manifested. It’s possible, isn’t it? But they’re not the ones who are being punished by this. You are.”

She flinched, and looked away, staring into the forest.

“You’re saying I can have both,” she said, clearly talking to herself, “The light and the dark.”

Killian opened his mouth to argue, but he hesitated. As long as she stopped trying to get rid of her light, he could live with the dark. With Excalibur in her possession, she couldn’t be controlled or killed, and that was more important than returning her to her old self.

Emma lifted her arm, palm upwards. White and black streams extended from her palm, into a slowly swirling vortex. Gradually, the streams melted into one other, creating a thick grey cloud of magic spinning in her palm. Emma laughed quietly, a joyous sound, and the sparkling cloud dissolved.

He had expected to see something left behind in her hand, some object she has summoned into being, but instead there were white particles falling through her fingers onto the dirt.

“What is bloody hell is that?”

“Glass,” she breathed, her pale lips spread into a smile. “Shards of glass,” she said, sounding surprised.

In the distance there was the rusting leaves and snapping twigs of something approaching. Turning around, he was startled to see Regina, Snow, and David running towards them from the bottom of the hill they were on.

“Hook! Stop her!” Snow yelled, voice carrying over the distance. David was faster than the others and rapidly approaching.

Killian glanced back at Emma to see her expression sour.

The three heroes reached the top of the hill, slowing down as they registered that there was no spell happening. Snow carried her bow and a quiver on her back, and David’s sword hung as his hips, undrawn. Regina needed no weapon, but all three and come prepared to fight to stop Emma.

Regina was the first to speak, wasting no time. “What’s going on here, Hook? Why didn’t you come back? It didn’t take long to figure out where a Dark One would go to perform such a spell,” the questions poured out of her mouth rapid fire, and on that last one she glared at Emma.

“I didn’t exactly have the opportunity to return,” Killian said defensively, “And she didn’t remove her magic. All is well. For now anyway.” He glanced at Emma, who was pursing her lips, intent to say nothing of what had just transpired.

“All is well?” Regina hollered, “Everything is not well; Emma is still a Dark One. Or did she just decide to mimic Granny’s hair color for fun?”

“Emma,” her father said softly, holding out a staying hand towards Regina, “If you didn’t remove your light magic, then why are you here?”

“I _was_ going to remove my light magic,” she said, and Killian flinched at the sudden change in her voice. Gone was the warmth, replaced by an imperious tone. “I decided against it.” She stepped forward to stand beside him, and pushed the hilt against Killian’s hand for him to grasp, “It’s my magic, and I’m going to keep it,” she paused, “ _All_ of it. And no one is going to use my magic against me.”

“Meaning?” Regina asked hesitantly.

“It means that Excalibur cannot control me, so neither can any of you.”

Snow gasped quietly, and Regina’s face fell, darting a worried glance at Killian.

“That’s what you want, isn’t it? This isn’t just about you wanting me to keep my light magic,” she said, voice crisp and cutting, “You want to control me. Well, too bad. No one gets to control me. Not Rumplestiltskin. Not the Dagger. Not you.”

“Emma, you’re my daughter! I never wanted to control. I only want you to be who you were meant to be.”

“Who I was meant to be!? You mean who you orchestrated me to be. Don’t bother, _Mary Margaret_. You’ve done enough trying to protect me.”

“Alright!” the Queen boomed, holding up her hands for quiet. “Let’s just…pause for a minute. You say you aren’t going to remove your light magic. Good. We all agree that’s for the best. We can continue our family squabbling later.” She sighed, talking a deep breath, and continued, “This is why you erased our memories. To keep us in the dark about Excalibur. That much is obvious.”

“And Henry,” Emma murmured, but it was so quiet that Killian didn’t think the others heard her. Regina continued speaking without pausing.

“But why come back to Storybrooke? What’s here that you need?” She narrowed her eyes, studying that pale face, everything bleached of color except Emma’s green eyes.

Emma lifted up her chin and said, “It was Zelena’s stupidity that landed us back in Storybrooke, but what realm I’m in made no difference in my plans.”

“So Arthur wasn’t supposed to come with us,” Killian realized, and Emma turned her back on her family to look at him, “but it’s a good thing he did, Swan. Your magic is intact and will remain so.” Behind her, Regina huffed and waved a sweeping hand at the Dark One, indicating that she felt there was still a very big problem to be dealt with. “Anything else can be dealt with later,” he said, leveling a harsh look at Regina. “Now may not be the best time for a heart to heart.”

“Seems like an excellent time to me,” a male voice spoke up, and all of them turned towards the source. Arthur stood up from his hiding place behind the well, a menacing look in his eyes. Behind him, Killian heard the scrap of steel and the wooden clack of an arrow being nocked.

“I thought you said you locked him up!”

“We did!” Snow and David said at the same time.

“You underestimated my wife,” the King said proudly as he stepped away from the well to stand in open ground, and then five more knights appeared soundlessly from behind distant trees. Each of them were far enough away that their approach hadn’t been heard, and they all carried bows at the ready.

Emma pulled Killian behind her and backed up, keeping him out of the way of the fireballs Regina had summoned up in her hands.

“I’ll have my sword back, and finish what I started.”

At his words, the archers fired.

Regina used her magic to deflect most of them, and David knocked one out of the air that had been aimed at Emma.

But not all of them were stopped. One arrow just missed Killian’s head, and he scuttled back to avoid it, stumbling to the ground and dropping Excalibur. Emma swung around. From the look he saw on her face, she must have thought he’d been hit. Before she could reach him though, Arthur appeared in front of him, dipping down quickly to pick up the sword and point it at his true love.

Killian’s breath caught in his throat, and for a moment everything seemed to pause. Snow was still firing, trying to keep the archers from getting in shots of their own. David and Regina were only ten feet away, but they were still too far. King Arthur brought up his arm, the daylight glinting off the metal, and Emma was still staring in shock.

 

* * *

 

She heard the arrow fly by her head, but she paid it no mind. She raised her hand, about to send the archers flying backwards, when she heard a thud. She spun around, and Hook was lying on the ground, a small grimace on his face. _No!_ , she screamed, but no sound came out of her mouth. She ran two steps towards him, but Arthur was there suddenly. He dipped as he ran, picking up Excalibur so quickly without breaking stride. She halted in shock, her mouth hanging open as the only weapon that could kill her was pointed right at her chest.

The Would-Be-King raised his arm to the left to swing the blade down across her neck, and in that last moment, she was frozen. Her eyes strayed to her pirate, at the fierce determination and love in his eyes.

The sunlight flared on the sword, and brought her eyes back to her killer.

There was a shout from behind her that sounded like her father.

Arthur’s face was murderous, and then his body jerked and his expression turned to shock. His sword arm fell to his side and his other hand went to his chest, but there was nothing there, no arrow or wound. Emma’s mind snapped back into action, and she snatched Excalibur out of his hand before he could lift it again. David was behind her, with his hands grabbing her shoulders, pulling her backwards a few steps.

Arthur turned around slowly, and revealed Killian standing there with a glowing red heart balanced in the curve of his hook, until he plucked the heart off his hook, his eyes shining with rage.

She heard a gasp, and wasn’t sure if it was her, her mother, or Regina. No one spoke.

“You would protect that blond demon?”

“She’s no demon!” Killian yelled, and in his rage, his fist clenched. Emma’s eyes widened, as the heart in his hand turned brown and exploded into dust in an instant. Arthur’s body dropped to his knees, and then collapsed. David’s hands fell away from her shoulders.

Emma looked into blue eyes, and saw only shock. He hadn’t realized what he was doing until it was already done. He looked at his hand, and stared at the ash falling through his fingers.

“I didn’t…I wasn’t…”

Emma stepped away from her father and put her hand in Killian’s. She looked back one last time at her parents. Snow White looked afraid, but in her husband’s face she saw betrayal.

“Captain…” Regina whispered, eyes wide with shock.

Emma looked back towards her lover, and she could tell that he saw the same thing in David’s face that she had. Fear crept into Killian’s eyes, and the Dark One had to keep from smiling. This was the moment she’d been waiting for.

She moved to block Killian’s view of their gazes. She gripped his hand, and then the two of them were engulfed by silver colored clouds.

 

* * *

 

 

Emma sat on the short wooden ladder separating the main deck from the quarterdeck. The wind was stronger on the water, causing Hook’s hair to be more unkempt than usual. He stood away from her, shoulders tight and fingers gripping the bright yellow gunwale. He looked out over the docks and the town, though no one looking their direction would be able to see them. She’d cast a spell on the Jolly Roger, which would keep anyone from seeing, touching, or walking on to the ship. As Killian had guessed, her pain had disappeared completely. Her magic was united and stronger than ever.

He still wouldn’t turn around, and hadn’t said a word to her after they’d teleported here. Emma hadn’t expected for Hook to kill Arthur, but then she hadn’t expected she’d be frozen in panic either. At least it was easier this way. It wouldn’t take long for him to see himself as he truly was. She wasn’t exactly sure what would happen when he ended up alone in a room with his first love’s murderer, but she was willing to bet it wouldn’t be pleasant for Rumple. It couldn’t happen immediately though; she had to be patient.

_One last task_ , she thought, _then we can leave Storybrooke for good_.

She had stored the Apprentice’s wand away for safe keeping in Camelot, and still kept it shrouded. That would be their ticket out of this town. The thought made her smile.

Except there was Henry. Her smile faded as she thought of the way he looked at her now. He might not want to come with her. If she had to, she’d bring the entire town to the Enchanted Forest. At least that way, he’d be in the same realm as her, and she could see him whenever she wanted.

Killian was moving, drawing her eyes back to him as he walked across the length of the ship, towards the helm. He walked up the ladder to her left, and rested his forearms atop the weathered wheel. She shifted her position to keep her eyes on him, sitting sideways on the step.

After a few moments, he looked at her, his expression unfathomable. “Are you planning on leaving Storybrooke?”

“Only if you’ll go with me,” she lied. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but she was planning on taking him away from this horrible town even if he didn’t ask her to.

He nodded, stood up straight, and spun, leaning his back against the wheel.

He’d been running from who he was for nearly 2 years. It was honorable to try, but being the hero didn’t suit him. There was a time when she thought it suited her, but that veil had been lifted. She would stay in the darkness forever, as long as he was by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I initially had a few more chapters planned, but honestly, I've lost all interest in finishing this. I tried to wrap up as many unanswered questions as possible. I figured that if I was going to end my fic early, then I should end it on a tragic note. It was what I always intended with this story anyway.


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